As is known, electrochemical batteries of this type are capable of providing high-density power and, for this reason, find particularly advantageous application in powering the high-power electric motors normally used for the propulsion of torpedoes, to which the following description will make explicit reference, without any loss of generality.
Normally, an electrochemical battery of the above-specified type comprises a plurality of electrochemical cells, which are arranged inside a chamber made in the body of the torpedo and contain an anhydrous electrolyte (for example sodium hydroxide), and is controlled by an activation and operation mode system (referred to in short as ‘SAM’), which comprises a set of devices having the function of managing, on one hand, the intake of a flow of seawater into the chamber to allow the formation of a liquid electrolyte and, on the other, the discharge from the chamber of the gaseous emissions generated by the chemical reaction and the fluid consisting of liquid electrolyte and/or seawater in the phase of battery activation or cleaning.
In particular, the SAM normally comprises a hydraulic circuit connected to at least one pump for circulation of the fluid in the hydraulic circuit and equipped with a seawater inlet valve, an outlet valve from the SAM for the fluid and reaction gas and a switching valve having the function of conveying the gas leaving the chamber to the outlet valve and, based on the operating phase of the battery, to selectively convey the fluid leaving the chamber either to the outlet valve, for example in the phase immediately following activation of the battery, or, via the pump, back inside the chamber again, for example when the battery is “operating regularly” and the fluid, consisting of liquid electrolyte, must be recirculated through the electrochemical cells.
Furthermore, the SAM normally comprises a seawater intake control device capable of adjusting the flow of water fed to the chamber based on the external pressure, i.e. the depth reached by the torpedo.
In addition to the above-mentioned devices, the SAM comprises a plurality of other mechanical and electromechanical components having the function of physically connecting the various parts of the SAM together and enabling the interaction and synchronization of the parts during operation of the battery. It follows that the structure of the SAM is normally quite complex and intrinsically delicate, both from the mechanical viewpoint, due to the large number of components, and with regard to the management of the components. The SAM thus has a particularly important and central role in the operation of the torpedo, as the failure of even just one of its constituent parts during the craft's mission can significantly compromise operation of the electrochemical battery and, in consequence, the operation of the craft itself.